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Fears of violence ahead of Timorese presidential election

East Timorese election authorities said yesterday that all eight candidates had been approved to compete in the presidential polls next month.

But an official warned of a potential for fresh violence during a three-day appeal period that ends on Tuesday in which members of the public can challenge in the East Timorese Supreme Court any of the candidates' right to stand.

President Xanana Gusmao, long regarded as a uniting force in his fledgling democracy but who is himself coming under increasing public criticism, is stepping down after the April 9 poll that will choose the country's second president since it broke away from Indonesia in 1999.

His successor will be called on to steer the country away from the brink of political and civil collapse.

the candidates

The eight candidates who were nominated to replace him had all passed the Supreme Court registration test, government election official Tomas do Rosario Cabral said yesterday on the deadline for the announcement.

The field included Gusmao's sole opponent at the last poll in 2002, Francisco Xavier do Amaral, a founder of the dominant Fretilin Party.

The candidates also include Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, a close Gusmao ally, as well as Fernando Lasama, a candidate despised by Fretilin and a supporter of fugitive military commander Alfredo Reinado.

Observers had feared the rejection of any candidate yesterday could have been a flashpoint for new violence.

But Dili, scarred by weeks of gang warfare, remanded relatively calm yesterday.

security worries

Martinho Gusmao, a Roman Catholic priest and member of the National Electoral Commission that oversees the election process, said security was at risk during the appeal period.

Gusmao, who is not related to the president, said he was pleased that official presidential candidates were eligible for UN bodyguards.

"A few days ago, three candidates came to the president and asked him for security guarantees," Martinho Gusmao said, adding that no state security was provided.

East Timor, one of the world's newest and poorest countries, was plunged into crisis a year ago when factional fighting broke out between police and army forces.

Dozens of people were killed and tens of thousands were forced to flee from their homes during the violence.

The arrival of 2,700 foreign peacekeepers helped restore order, but tensions have flared in recent weeks, raising fears that presidential elections could be violent.
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